Finding Joy With Your Loved Ones During the Holidays

Every year again, the holiday season brings a heap of emotions with them. Stress, joy, happiness, sadness, and everything in between. Nope, you’re really not alone in this 😉 But why is it that the holidays bring up all the feels? And how can we best cope with them?

As much joy as we want to have, and as much joy as we do have, it’s also really hard on our mental health. Period.

Finding joy during the holidays: why is it so hard?

The holiday season is always a hard time, aside from the extra stress from the pandemic. But why is it such a hard time? For most people, it’s a combination of the following:

There are a lot of things going on during the holiday season, causing extra pressure.
The lack of routine is difficult for many people, especially young kids.
You might be hosting a holiday celebration, adding extra tasks to your to-do list ánd additional pressure.
Often, people struggle with a shift in tradition. This can be caused by the pandemic, but also for example when all of a sudden there are newborns in the family or kids are growing older and going their own ways.
We all set expectations about how it’s going to be and how we’re going to feel, but actually humans are really bad at predicting that. So when something doesn’t go as planned, we can experience stress.
Being together with your extended family, often means you take in your old childhood role. And not everyone will be happy with that…

So, we know why it’s a hard time. Now what can we do about it? We all have our own tips and tricks to stay true to our values during the holidays and to blow off steam. Curious? We tell you all about them in today’s episode.

More about Virginia Family Therapy

Virginia Family Therapy is a mental health practice serving individuals, families, and our community. VFT is designed to help people at all stages and from all walks of life by offering therapists and physicians with diverse backgrounds and specialties via face-to-face, walk-and-talk, and telemedicine appointments. Throughout, we are committed to developing strengths-based, authentic, and long-lasting relationships with you and your children. We hope to provide you with the support and insight you need to help your family navigate life’s hard times and joys.

In this episode on finding joy during the holidays, we cover:

Why the holidays always bring up all the feels;
Ways to get closer to the kind of holidays you want to have;
How to keep our values at the forefront of what we’re doing;
How to stay centered on who we are and who we want to be.

Resources and links mentioned in this episode

Are you or your child struggling with mental health? We have a team of psychologists and psychiatrists who can help you out. Don’t hesitate to contact us here.
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Need some more tips on getting through the holidays? Have a listen to our episode on coping with sadness, expectations and finding joy during the holidays!

Disclaimer: Please remember we are real live therapists, however this is a podcast and is not considered a therapy session. Not only because there is no co-pay but also because we can’t speak to your individual experiences. We are here to help you keep raising healthy kids. And remember, if you are an imperfect parent, we are right there with you. If you or someone you love is in immediate danger, please call your local crisis hotline or go to your nearest emergency room.